the price of a gun today

I’ll tell ya exactly what I bought even

Marlin 1894SS $800
S&W 629 Classic Champion $1200
Pedersoli Gamcock 20 ga. $1300

None of these are easily replaceable. And the 1894SS probably replaceable 5 times to 1 of the other two combined.

I think discretion may be the better part of valor in this case. Suffice it to say that there are, happily, a wide variety of guns available at many prices. I will say that my next major shotgun purchase will be in the low teens, while I have never had the desire to spend more than $1500 on a rifle or handgun.

I am also amazed at the price of guns, but in reverse. Guns are cheaper and better than they have ever been. Sure, you can pay a lot for a firearm, but you can get a lot of gun for very little money nowadays. You can buy a 1 MOA rifle for $350. That is around $32.00 in 1950 dollars. How much would you have had to have spent then to get that kind of accuracy? Sure, it might have a plastic stock, and not have a deep bluing, but that is not what kills deer. Same goes for handguns. I recently bought a Ruger SR9C with 2 magazines for a bit over $300. What would a $28 handgun have been like in 1950? Like most manufactured products, efficiencies in manufacturing have made firearms inexpensive and reliable (if a little lacking in 'character').

Military surplus is what I like, no bones about that. Wood and blued steel is my loves.
Rifle: Chinese T53-$145
Pistol: Spanish Super Star 9mm Largo-$180
Shotgun: Stevens Springfield 12 gauge-$90

Are they old? Yep. Do they shoot? Yep. Would I want anything newer? Nope.
I get what I like.

Shotgun -- rounded off to 10k
Rifle -- little less than 5k
Handgun -- little more than 6.5k
But then, what does it matter? People like what they like and buy what they buy.
My only real concern is when the Democrat sycophats in blue come to take my guns because some idiot neighbor decided to "swat" me, how are they going to treat my property? Yea, I don't think so either.

Every gun owner buys what they like in the price range they can afford - lots of options at many price points. The dollars spent do not matter as long as the owner is pleased.

Pistol: $700 ish, several in this range
Rifle: $1250 for my M1 Garand
Shotgun: $1000 for a Beretta A391
Black powder: $1200, Shilo Sharps


Just for the flip side of the coin, the cheapest are
Pistol: $30 Davis derringer
Rifle: 30 7.62x39 shells for a H&R 760
Shotgun: $70 for a Rossi 410
Black Powder: $30 for duckfoots kit pistol

Never have paid more than 400 for any save one and it was only 35 over. All work and in 54 years never needed more than cleaning.

SilentStalker said:

The last subgun I got was almost $2000.

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Did you leave a zero outa that price, or was your last one a long time back?

My last one was 12k, and that's been about 15 years ago.

Have paid more than I should have for Pistols, later bought one that is the best quality I have seen for around $450.00 and again later a second one that became a discontinued model for around $250.00.They well outlive me even with a lot of shooting I do with them. One of the best quality ounce for ounce is pocket gun I only paid about $250.00 for.

In today's world, with so many manufacturers and advances in metals etc. I do not believe you have to pay a lot of money. Shop around and you can get a really nice firearm for a inexpensive price. Some of the discontinued models out now represent some of the best deals on quality going on. ex. Ruger SR9C at around $300.00

Jeb Stuart said:

Lol, don't pay any attention to him 357 smallbore. I have seen low cost shotguns kill a heck of a lot of deer, turkey. and on and on. A high end gun does not make you a hunter.

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Wasn't talking about hunting......

entropy said:

As for the other comment, I was just tweeking pharmer's nose.
Big Pharma somehow found a way to patent colchisine, which is derived from a certain crocus flower. It has been around since the late 1600's. Before they patented it, it was cheaper than the co-pay. Now I get mine through the VA, but before that, it went up several hundred percent in price.

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And now that the business has been "cleaned up" you would not believe the tactics currently used to buy "good will." Joe

Handgun: I've paid a little over $1600.
Rifle: Also a little over $1600.
Shotguns: $0.00 I don't own and don't really see buying a shotgun anytime soon. I don't really care about them.

My most expensive handgun was a used HK P7 for $800
$600 for an AR WAY back when (son now has it)
$2300 for a shotgun, but I'm looking to upgrade to somewhere between $8 and 12K. depending on which brand and new versus used

Hi...
Most I have paid for a firearm is $900 for a Cimarron 1873 lever action rifle in .45Colt with case hardened frame and octagon barrel a couple of years ago.
Most of my firearms were bought for less than $600.
The least I paid was $50 for a few guns...a lever action Marlin .22Mag rifle, a S&W Model 10 in .38Spl, a Kimel Ind. .22/22Mag single action revolver and a Helwan Brigadier in 9mm.

Best deals was probably $900 I paid for three S&W N frames some years ago...a Model 29, 57 and 25. Bought used and unfired at a small gun shop. I just happened to be there talking to the owner when an older gentleman brought in a bunch of handguns to sell.

Pistol - $1K used gun
Rifle - $2,000 used gun and a .22lr at that.

Back in 1963 as a high school kid I worked for a neighbor farmer. He paid me $1.00 an hour, which was the minimum wage at that time, and I worked 40 hours. I took that $40 and bought a new .22lr rifle I had been lusting for. I found a site that says my 1963 $40 is equal to $330 in 2019 dollars.

Rifles: ranging from $800 for a Winchester M-1 to $70 for a Swedish M-94
Pistols: from $400 for a RIA G.I. 1911 to $20 for a Jennings ,22
Shotguns: from $300 for a Stevens 311 to $200 for a Norinco 1897 trench gun.
-I don't care for shotguns or most modern arms.

depends on what you want to buy. It seems to me that there is very good value in solid firearms these days compared to 40 or 50 years ago. really high end guns have always been pricier but it seems to me that well made and very serviceable firearms are readily available these days at very affordable prices.

personally, I cannot shoot a $2000 AR any better than a $500 AR, and truth be told very, very few people can.

Jeb Stuart said:

Lol, don't pay any attention to him 357 smallbore. I have seen low cost shotguns kill a heck of a lot of deer, turkey. and on and on. A high end gun does not make you a hunter.

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I know what you mean, Jeb. I have some guns that are reasonably accurate, fun to shoot, and didn't cost a mortgage payment.
A friend of mine brokered a deal for a '59 Les Paul, a six figure guitar. He let me strum it before he shipped it off. Playing (if you want to call it that) that Paul certainly didn't make me a musician.

In 1980 my Remington wingmaster cost $200. Four decades later, I do not consider $500-$800 to be all that expensive for a gun.
I have assembled a few AR’s with parts totaling $450-$650. Add another $200-$500 for the optic, I don’t consider them to be high end guns. Actually I have a few scopes that cost more than any bare rifle I have bought.
The least expensive handgun I purchased in the last few years is my Ruger LC9S. As I recall it was $300 with the laser sight. My Walther PPQQM1 was about $420, which I thought was a great deal. Browning hi power for five years ago was just under $1000 and I’m glad I bought it when I did.

handgun - $950 - a NIB Colt WW1 reissue) that go all day long now for $1600-$1800 respectively.

rifle - $1150 - two rifles at coincidentally the same price. AK - my one panic buy from the Obama era. I felt bad about it, until now I see this model selling for hundreds over the panic price from back then. And a Colt LE marked carbine. Which has now apparently turned into platinum.

shotgun - $249 - well .. it works.

My "average" or median price for my firearms collection is lower, of course, but those are the averages.

roscoe said:

Sure, it might have a plastic stock, and not have a deep bluing, but that is not what kills deer. Same goes for handguns. I recently bought a Ruger SR9C with 2 magazines for a bit over $300. What would a $28 handgun have been like in 1950? Like most manufactured products, efficiencies in manufacturing have made firearms inexpensive and reliable (if a little lacking in 'character').

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I thought deer checked make, model and condition of a firearm before falling over dead for the hunter. Huh...
And it isn't the same for defensive guns? Whaddya know!

Fine Figure of a Man said:

In 1980 my Remington Wingmaster cost $200. Four decades later, I do not consider $500-$800 to be all that expensive for a gun.

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My first Wingmaster cost me $1.50.
A friend's dad owned it and it was all frozen up. $1.00 to replace the firing pin, $.50 to replace the spring that was wound all through the racking mechanism and I had a working shotgun.

357smallbore said:

When I get out and about. And I find myself at my LGS, Cabelas or a place similar. I am just amazed at the price of guns. (ALL GUNS). Today you buy 3 guns and you can have $2k racked up real quick. Without giving away too much. I have many weapons. I'm a 3% 'er for sure. I've been a gun buyer and owner since 1980.
I dont buy cheap junk guns. But I also dont buy the guns that people pay ridiculous amounts for. My question is.... Last gun I bought was 6 months ago. I pretty much shop the auctions online. What is the most you have paid for in buying a handgun, rifle and shotgun?
I have never paid over $350 for any gun. And like I have said, I have some pretty nice ones. Of course they are all shooters.
1. Handgun = $350
2. Rifle = $250
3. Shotgun = $226

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You can buy three guns and not even break $1,000. Or you can spend $10,000+ on a bespoke 1911.

I know what I was making in 1980, and I know what I make today. In inflation adjusted dollars I'm making 4X more money than I made in 1980. Not bad for a retired guy. I remember what guns cost in 1980 and what the quality was.

Guns today are much less expensive and of better mechanical quality. Just yesterday I saw perfectly serviceable, new, deer rifles for $225. That would be $72 in 1980 dollars. Hell, you couldn't get a NEW bolt gun in 1980 for $225 that I can remember.

Sure, if deep bluing and nice wood is your thing you're going to have to spend more than $225, but you weren't getting nice wood for $225 in 1980 either. Rifles today are leaps and bounds more accurate than rifles in 1980.

Also the sheer number of choices we have today is staggering.

George P said:

I feel sorry for your choice of a cheap shotgun - you obviously care more about price point that quality - and that is OK if price is all that matters to you. I prefer quality and quality - no matter what the goods are - doesn't come cheap.

But perhaps you should go back to what wages were in 1980 compared to today, along with the rest of the cost of living.

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I think the most my Dad ever paid for a shotgun was $200. A dusty side-by-side forgotten in the back corner of a small town antique store in the early '90s. He'd never heard of the maker, but he liked the scrollwork and didnt have a double barrel at the time, so he ponied up what he considered an exhorbitant amount.

Turned out to be a Francotte.